Research grants by year

Part of NOCSAE’s mission is to commission research and encourage the dissemination of research findings on athletic equipment and sports injuries.

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1995 – 1999

1995
Static and Dynamic Impact Behavior of Baseballs
Rick Greenwald, Ph.D., Orthopedic Biomechanics Institute, Salt Lake City, UT.

Early Prediction of Severity of Closed Head Injury in Football Accidents Using Neuropsychological Testing, MRI, and Pet Scanning
Howard H. Kaufman, M.D. and Hiroto Kuwabara, West Virginia University School of Medicine.

Cervical Spine Protection: A Comprehensive Review
Manohar M. Panjabi, Ph.D. and Barry S. Myers, M.D., Ph.D.
See the full text >

The Role of Vertebral Geometry and Density and the Effectiveness of Neck Protective Devices in Cervical Impact Injuries
Marie Shea, M.S., Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA.

1996
The National Commotio Cordis Registry
Barry Maron. M.D., Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
See the full text >

Facial Injuries In Youth Baseball Registry
Fred Mueller, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Development of a Biological Model for Commotio Cordis: Use in Evaluating Baseball Injury and Chest Wall Protection
Mark S. Link, M.D., New England Medical Center Hospitals, Boston, MA.

Comparisons of Shin Guards in Preventing Tibia and Fibula Fractures in Soccer
William E. Garrett, Jr. M.D., Ph.D., Duke University Medical Center.

Limiting Performance Studies of Sports Helmets
Walter D. Pilkey, Ph.D., The University of Virginia.

Effect of Mild Head Injury on Cognition and Postural Stability
Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

1997
Use of Shoe Orthotics to Reduce Bone Strain Rate.
David B. Burr, Ph.D., Indiana University School of Medicine.

Evaluation of Eye Injuries Caused by Baseballs of Varying Hardness.
Paul F. Vinger, M.D., Vision Performance and Safety Service, Concord, MA.

1998
Mechanisms and Prevention of Commotio Cordis: Use in an Animal Model
Mark S. Link, M.D., New England Medical Center Hospitals, Boston, MA.

Biomechanics of Wrist Guards – Efficient Usage in Preventing Forearm Injuries
Kyu-Jung Kim, Ph.D., Orthopaedic Biomechanics Lab, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN.

1999
Neuropsychological Assessment of Sports-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Multi-Sport Study.
Ruben J. Echemendia, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

A Prospective Study on Injury Assessment, Return to Play and Outcome Following Concussion in Athletes.
Kevin M. Guskewiewicz, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Renewal of the United States Commotio Cordis Registry.
Barry J. Maron, M.D., Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

The Development of a System Using Triaxial Accelerometers to Measure Head Motion and Energy Exposure During High Velocity Vehicular Impact
Stephen E. Olvey, M.D., University of Miami School of Medicine

2000 – 2004

2000
Response Time as a Consideration in Design Constraints for Baseballs and Baseball Bats.
Mark D. Grabiner, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

2001
A Comparison of Traditional and Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment of Athletes Prior to and Following Cerebral Concussion.
Ruben Echemendia, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Sudden Death in Sports Impacts, Mechanism, Prevention and Treatment.
Mark S. Link, M.D., New England Medical Hospitals, Boston, MA.

2002-2003
Catastrophic Football Injuries: 1984-2000
Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., University of North Carolina

United States Commotio Cordis Registry
Barry J. Maron, M.D., Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

Various Types of Football Helmets, Face Masks, and Face Mask Loop Straps, and Their Effects on the Efficiency of Face Mask Removal
Erik E. Swartz, Ph.D., University of New Hampshire

2004
Acute Effects and Recovery After Concussion in High School Athletes: A Clinical and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study.
Michael McCrea, Ph.D., ABPP, Waukesha Memorial Hospital, Waukesha, WI

The Influence of Environment and Regular use on Football Equipment Over a Full Season of Participation and its Relation to Face Mask Removal Efficiency
Erik E. Swartz, Ph.D., University of New Hampshire

2005 – 2009

2005
Cervical Spine Instability and Equipment Use: A Comparison of Prehospital Transfer Procedures in a Cadaver Model.
MaryBeth Horodyski Ed.D., ATC/L, Associate Professor-Director of Research, University of Florida, FL

Assessment of MBTI in Female Boxers.
Marianne Wilhelm, Ph.D., Wayne State University

2006
Evaluation of Heading in Youth Soccer.
Cynthia Bir, Ph.D., Wayne State University

Motor Evoked Potential Abnormalities Following Acute Concussion Among High School and Collegiate Athletes: Relationship to Post-Concussive Symptoms, Neuropsychological Test Scores, and Balance Error Scores.
Christopher D. Ingersoll, Ph.D., University of Virginia

AED and ICD Use in Sports: Expansion and Development of National Registries.
Jonathan A. Drezner, M.D., University of Washington

2007
Biomechanical Analysis of Commotio Cordis.
Cynthia Bir, Ph.D., Wayne State University

Gender Differences in Head Impact Acceleration in Collegiate Ice Hockey.
Richard M. Greenwald, Ph.D., Simbex, Lebanon, NH

2008
High School Sports Injury Surveillance: Monitoring Rates and Patterns of Injury Over Time.
R. Dawn Comstock, Ph.D., Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Prospective Evaluation of Head Impacts Sustained by Youth Ice Hockey Players: Part II.
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., ATC: Professor and Chair, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, UNC-Chapel Hill

Characterizing Concussion in Boys High School Lacrosse: Epidemiological, Biomechanical and Neuropsychological Dimensions.
Andrew E. Lincoln, Sc.D., MedStar Research Institute, Hyattsville, MD

Epidemiology of Commotio Cordis: Maintenance of the National Registry.
Barry J. Maron, M.D., Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

An Investigation of the Linear Impactor Test Protocol Based on In Vivo Measures of Head Impact Acceleration.
Joseph T. Gwin

Hypopituitarism in Retired Professional Football Players.
Daniel F. Kelly, M.D., John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA

2009
The Effect of Lacrosse Helmet Design on Face Mask Removal With Different Removal Tools.
Thomas Bowman, MEd, ATC

Evaluating Changes in Depression Symptoms and Neurocognitive Impairments among Male and Female Concussed High School and Collegiate Athletes.
Tracey Covassin Ph.D., ATC

Performance of Wood and Non-wood Baseball Bats.
J.J. Trey Crisco, Ph.D

Outcomes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in U.S. High Schools: A Prospective Study from the National Registry for AED Use in Sports.
Jonathan A. Drezner, M.D.

Prospective Investigation of Sport-related Concussion: Relationship Between Biomechanical, Neuroanatomical, and Clinical Factors.
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., ATC

Commotio Cordis, Sudden Death Due to Innocent Chest Wall Impact: Role of Potassium Ion Channels in Susceptibility of Individual Athletes.
Mark S. Link, M.D.

Neuropathological and Clinical Consequences of Repetitive Concussion in Athletes.
Ann C. McKee, M.D. and Robert A. Stern, Ph.D.

2015 – 2019

2015
Lacrosse Study Tracking Injuries and Concussions in Kids (LAX-STICK)

Zachary Y. Kerr, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist, Co-PI, Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Inc.

2016
Injuries and Concussions Among Children, Ages 5-11, Playing Sports in Recreational Leagues in Florida

Karen D. Liller, PhD, Professor and AAAS Fellow, University of South Florida College of Public Health

A 2-year Prospective Injury Epidemiological Analysis of Rugby Sevens in North America

Answorth A. Allen, MD. Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY

The Effectiveness of Soccer Headgear to Reduce the Incidence or Severity of Sport Related Concussion in Adolescents

Timothy A. McGuine PhD ATC, Senior Scientist (PI), University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

2017
Establishing Test Parameters for Youth American Football Helmets Informed by Injury Surveillance

T.B. Hoshizaki, PhD, University of Ottawa

Research Initiatives to Inform the Development of a Youth Football Helmet Standard

Steven Rowson, PhD, Assistant Professor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

2018
Determinants of Head Impact Exposure in Youth Football

Thayne A. Munce, PhD, Manager, Exercise Physiology, Sanford Sports Science Institute, Sanford Research

2019
Changes in Brain Physiology Associated With Youth Tackle and Flag Football: A Pilot Study

(Publication in 2021: On-field Characteristics and Head Impact Magnitude in Youth Tackle Football)

Robert Lynall, assistant professor, University of Georgia

2010 – 2014

2010
Can Anthropometric Measurements Explain Gender Differences in Concussion Rates Among High School Basketball, Soccer and Lacrosse Players?
R. Dawn Comstock, PhD, Assistant Professor Center for Injury Research and Policy

The Effect of Sport-related Concussion on Cognition, Balance, Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescent Athletes.
Tamara C. Valovich McLeod, Ph.D., ATC, Associate Professor, Athletic Training

Genetic Risk Factors for Concussion, Concussion Severity, and Neurocognitive Recovery from Concussion in College Football and Soccer Players.
Tom Terrell, M.D.

2011
Exploring the Gender Divide: A Multi-faceted Study of Head Impact Biomechanics, Neurocognitive Function, and Cervical Muscle strength.
Jason P. Mihalik, PhD, CAT(C), ATC, Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Science,The University of North Carolina.

“Advancing the Understanding of Biomechanical Parameters Associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: An Evaluation of the Relationships Among Head Acceleration, Brain Tissue Mechanical Response, and Diffusion Imaging,” Richard M. Greenwald, Ph.D., Simbex, Lebanon, NH

“Unexplained Brain Injury Mechanics Research,” David Halstead, SIRC

“Development of a Centric and Non-Centric American Football Helmet Assessment Protocol,” Blaine Hoshizaki, Ph.D., Director Neurotrauma Impact Science Laboratory, University of Ottawa

2012
Concussion Assessment in Low Socioeconomic Urban High School Athletes: Influence of Learning Disabilities, Previous History of Concussion, Grade Point Average, Cognitive Maturity and Effort on Concussion Baseline Scores.
Tamerah N. Hunt, PhD, AT, Assistant Professor of Clinical Allied Medical Professions: The Ohio State University Medical Center.

The Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Acute Treatment of Sport-related Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.
Jason P. Mihalik, PhD, CAT(C), ATC: Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.

Understanding the Influence of Concussion Education on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Concerning Concussion among Youth Athletes, Coaches, and Parents.
Johna K. Register-Mihalik, PhD, ATC, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Multi Modal Neuroimaging: Diffusion Tensor Imaging, MR Spectroscopy and Susceptibility Weighted Imaging in Association With Clinical Measures to Assess Sports-Related Concussion in Varsity Level College Athletes.
Osherson D., PhD, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

Head Accelerations From Various Stick Checks in Girls Lacrosse: A Surrogate Impact and Pilot Field Study.
J. J. Trey Crisco, PhD, Dept. of Orthopedics and Engineering, Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI.

2013
The Effect of Head Impact Biomechanics on Short-and Long-term Neurological Status in Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse and Soccer Players

Margot Putukian, MD, FACSM: Director of Athletic Medicine, Head Team Physician, Princeton University

Commotio Cordis: Evaluation of Chest Wall Protectors and Wayne State Mechanical Surrogate

Mark S. Link, MD: Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine

2014
The Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Acute Treatment of Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Jason P. Mihalik, PhD, CAT(C), ATC, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Detailed Epidemiology of Selected Characteristics of Catastrophic Injuries (National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research)

  1. Kucera, Director, National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research & Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Citadel Mouthguard Study